hopeful - Stories

Oliver's marriage ends and his job disappears on the same Tuesday. So he flies to France, straps on a pack, and starts walking. Somewhere in the French Alps he meets Julien, a man carrying his own weight, and the two of them figure out—slowly, carefully—whether they've got room for each other.

Two grown men, a lot of hills, and the slow business of letting someone in.

Emory had his whole life planned out. Go to college, become successful, marry Danielle. Then one night, he met a boy who took his virginity, and now Emory is about to turn his life upside down and follow the boy across the country. It's time for this boy to meet other boys.

The year is 1891, and the Wild West is dying. Alvarez is a smartly dressed, smooth-talking bandito riding north with a stolen fortune, a lethal six-shooter, and one very spoiled cat. He travels alone, until he finds a half-frozen boy bleeding in the cold mud. Devon is an exile, violently banished from his Mennonite community and hunted by the very boys who broke him. As they ride together, Devon's cold logic clashes with Alvarez's flashy chaos. Slowly, the pinstriped killer and the battered runaway must learn to trust each other before the past catches up to them both.

Colt's temper got him expelled. Now he's starting over in a small town where he meets Noah, a quiet, bookish boy next door hiding a terrible secret. As their friendship deepens into first love, Colt discovers that Noah's stepfather has been abusing him for years. Desperate to protect the boy he loves, Colt agrees to a dangerous plan. But the guilt of his choices and the friends he's made over the summer may be the only things that can save them both.

A rural farm boy has a chance encounter with handsome tattooed roughneck that may change the trajectory of his life.

Sky is a young actor, son of two of Hollywood's finest and most respected television stars, and an out gay man with a few small roles to start his career. When he auditions for a small indie film, he learns his co-star would be the hottest up-and-coming male star of the year: Brant Kimber. Sky is auditioning for the role of Brant's gay lover, but Brant is quite heterosexual. Sky can barely imagine filming sex scenes with this masculine sex-symbol but he is also very excited about the opportunity. The role would be the best one he has had so far and extremely exciting. Will Sky land The Role of a Lifetime? What will happen if he does?

Sam has cajoled and coaxed Max, and with the big day finally coming, he's footing the bill for a suit at a high-end menswear boutique. What neither counted on was the sleek salesman with the talented mouth offering one a very private fitting—while the other waits outside the dressing room door.

Elias Sawyer and Theo Harding attempting to build a life in Merrickville, Ontario, three years after the events of Buckshot. Their peace is threatened when the Canadian Pacific Railway, led by ruthless agents Brant McCulloch and Valance, attempts to seize their land for a new rail line.

Two boys, six years of silence, and one morning with toast that changes everything. Marshall-Lee has spent forever pretending not to see Aiden across the street. But Aiden's been watching—collecting leaves, drawing portraits, waiting. When he finally crosses the road with breakfast and no agenda, Marshall-Lee's carefully constructed walls start crumbling. This is a story about being seen. About the patience it takes to love someone who isn't ready yet. About first kisses on cheeks and hands that finally touch. Sweet, slow, and achingly tender—for anyone who remembers what it felt like to fall.